Put On Your Gospel Glasses: Keeping a Spiritual Perspective

Our view of the gospel’s truth is sometimes blocked by distractions; we can see past these distractions by looking at life through a spiritual lens.

Photo by Casey Horner

Without a doubt, life is busy. With our attention being pulled in so many directions, it can be hard to keep spiritual goals in view. Despite the distractions, we can maintain a gospel perspective, as Elder Gary E. Stevenson explains in his October 2017 general conference talk “Spiritual Eclipse.”

Elder Stevenson compares the light of Jesus Christand the gospel to the light of the sun. He references the rare total solar eclipse that occurred several weeks before the October general conference, explaining that the brilliant light of the sun was, for a time, almost completely blocked out as the much smaller moon crossed between the earth and sun. “In the same manner . . . a spiritual eclipse can occur when we allow minor and troublesome obstructions—those we face in our daily lives—to get so close that they block out the magnitude, brightness, and warmth of the light of Jesus Christ and His gospel.”

Although eclipses—both solar and spiritual ones—can damage our physical or spiritual sight, we can protect ourselves from harm with the proper precautions. Just as we can view a solar eclipse safely through special eclipse glasses, we can protect our spiritual vision by putting on our “gospel glasses” and continually reminding ourselves that eternal concerns such as our families are far more important than distractions like social media and even “positive endeavors” that we allow to “blot out gospel light.” In Elder Stevenson’s words, viewing life’s challenges through a spiritual lens “expands our sight to an eternal view.” With such a perspective, we can find light in even the darkest situations.